Automobile roof



L. WEISS AUTOMOBILE ROOF Oct. 9 1928.

Filed Jan. 29, 1927 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

UNITED STATES iPA TENT oFFlcE.

LEOPOLD wE Iss, OF NEW YORK, n. Y.

AUTOMOBILE ROOF Application fil ed January 29, 1927. serial No. 164,590.

This invention relates to vehicles in general and particularly to what is termed closed v-ehicles.

One of theobj ects of my invention is to provide in connection with" a closed vehicle a swinging top or cover, which may readily be opened to permit unrestricted entrance into the vehicle through the open door, without a the necessity of stooping,and also permitting standing up within. the vehicle before s tt ng down or after getting up from the seat.

Another object of my invention is to-pro-- vide, inconnection with such swinging top, means for opening and closing thetop, preferably operable from the drivers seat.

Another object of my invention is to prodrawings forming part of this disclosure, but

by no means intended to limit this invention to the actual showing, and by the following description. v I,

In the drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of an automombile provided with my swinging top, in its open position,

Fig. 2 illustrates in diagrammatical man ner the end view of a vehicle, provided with a swinging top,

Fig. 3 is a detail view, partially in section,

showing the operating parts connected with and adapted to swing the top into openand closed position.

Fig. 4: is across sectional view taken on line 1-4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 1s a diagrammatical top v1ew of my operating mechanism, Fig. 6 is a detail crating handle.

Fig. 7 is across sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 shows a modified diagrammatical form of my operating" mechanism. I

Referring to the drawings, numeral 10 denotes avehicle'body of a closed car provided with a stationary top or roof portion 11 and a view of a collapsible opis preferably hinged to the body in the manner shown in Fig. 3, although any other construction may be provided for achieving the same purpose. The swinging top 12 is preferably provided with a peripheral rim 13 which I is adapted to overlap the top edge of the body in such amanner as to permit opening of the side doors.- This detailis not shownin the drawing, since it is obvious. At the inner face of the vided longitudinallguides'14 in which play slides 15, connected with levers or rods 16.

The latter are preferablyequipped with a sub-' stantial hub 17 which is keyed, as shown at 18, to operating shaft 19. I

In Figs. 1, 2, 3,-and 5, I have illustrated a sprocket wheel 20, attached to shaft 19, and driven by sprocket chain 21 from another sprocket wheel 22. H The latter is' keyed .to an auxiliary shaft 23upon which is also keyed a "swinging'top or roof portion 12. The latter top there are pro larger sprocket wheel 24. The latter is connected by sprocket chain 25 to sprocket wheel 26, associated with operating shaft 27. The latter isprovided with a ratchet wheel 28, en-

gaged by ratchet 29 which may be released or I permitted to slide over the teeth of the ratchet wheel, as desired. The provision of this ratchet wheel, engaged by the pawl, assures against back slipping, and at the same time may be employed for keeping the top at a desired open position. When pawl 29 is released, the top may be lowered.

Operating shaft 27 is actuated by a collapsible handle-30 which is so constructed that, it

' may be tipped inwards and out of the way,

when desired. This is made possible by constructing the head 31 in such a way as to swing about pivot 32 passing through the head 31 and flattened end 33 of shaft 27.

The operating mechanism of my device is preferably arranged within the framework ofthe body and under the seat of the driver, as will be clearly seen in Fig. 1. It is desirable that handle 30 be placed in the center portion of the seat so that eitherthe driver or any one sitting in the front seat of the car may operate the top.

In Fig.8, I have 1 llustrated a modified form of my operating mechanism in which operatv ing lever 16 is shown. attached to shaft 19'.

The latter is operated by means of a bevel gear 34, meshingwith beveligear-f35,.which is driven by upright shaft 36-,from bevel gear. 37. The latter is engaged byb evel gear 38,

to which motion is transmitted by means of i the top is being lowered' shaft 39 from bevel gear 40. The latter is driven by bevel gear 41 attached to shaft 42.

This shaft is provided with collapsible han-' thedrawi'ng.

. i In. Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown a detail construction of the top or root of device in which a waterproof covering 46' is illustrated, which is supported by asolidmember 47 to whichis attached the upper portion 48, of

, hinge 49.j The lowerportion 50 of the hinge is attached to the upright part 51 of the vehicle. I

Covering the lower hinge portionare solid fillers 52 and 53 to which is attached. the dependingportion of cover 46. The solid portion53 is movable up anddown and is supported by spring 54. The upper edge of por-' tion 53 abuts at 55'with the solid portion'47 of the upper roof part.

This construction permits a ready opening or closing of the top without crushing .or

squeezing the waterproof covering 46 at the hingedpart of the roof, since thatcovering is being stretched the moment the top is in closed position, and will fold outwards when solid portion 53 will be forceddown by the solid portion 47 of the roof,

As has been saidbefore, the drawings are intended purely for explanatory purposes and therefore are not meant to limit the present invention to merely the showing. Therefore, the aboveexplained details are not of marked importance,in View of the fact, that the broad idea of a swinging top is intended to be covered bythis application. p i

It is'also obvious, that, while I'have shown two mechanical ways of operating the top, pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric arrangements maybe substituted for said mechanical construction, without departing from the broad scope of my idea, forwhich Iclaim1+ In combination with a closed, moto'rdriven vehicle, a hinged top portion extending from the rear of the vehicle to the drivers compartment,said top portion having peripheral overhanging edges adapted to'prevent moisture from entering the interior of the vehicle,

a shaftextendingbeneath the hinged edge of i the top, aplu'rality of levers keyed to-said shaft, a plurality of. lever guides attached at the inner face of said top, the free ends of said lGVGl'SPI'OVldGd with hinged slides adapted to vregister with said guides, the latter having means for preventing disengagement of said slides from said guides, a hand operable drive arrangement connected with said shaft and adapted to be operated from the driversseat.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, January, A.

D. 1927. K v

LEQPOLD WVEISS. 

